American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Development (AJMRD)

Volume 2, Issue 8 (August- 2020), PP 57-62

ISSN: 2360-821X
www.ajmrd.com

A Case for Community Theatre Practice in Cultural Heritage

Education and Preservation
Dr. Evans Asante
University of Education, Winneba

ABSTRACT:- This paper is the report of a community education project that employed theatre as the main
approach for engaging the participants. The over aching aim of the project was to explore the potency of
community theatre in the mobilizing and educating community folks on cultural heritage preservation and
associated issues. The study was conducted in 2018 in Asebu Traditional Area in the Central region of Ghana.
Data for the study was collected using qualitative interviews and observations whiles participants were
purposively and conveniently sampled. The process of community theatre-story creation, scenario building,
rehearsals, performance and post-performance were adhered to in the development and implementation of the
theatre project. In the final analysis, the paper highlights some of the high and low points in the community
theatre approach to community education, especially in the area of cultural heritage and preservation.

Key Words:- Community theatre, participation, cultural heritage, heritage preservation, storytelling, forum
theatre, community participation.

I. INTRODUCTION
Culture is what gives a people an identity and meaning. Culture takes many forms, including how we
adapt to our natural environment; the institutions we create to express our social and political beliefs; the
performing arts, visual arts, literature, crafts, and handwork; our history; and language and communication
forms through which we express our beliefs (Kottak, 1991). At the heart of every society is their rich cultural
legacy which is passed on from generation to generation. Branden and Mayo (1999), described culture as both
what we create and the societal glue that holds us together or tears us apart. The relationship between every
community and its culture cannot be underestimated, hence cultural activities have been identified as major
economic force in many communities. Cultural development and planning according to Dunham, (1970) are
regarded as valuable strategies to accelerate the process of community growth. Cultural heritage has been
identified as a fibre that holds different generations of people together it is therefore imperative to safeguard
these cultural heritages and its associated activities of every economy especially for the younger generation. The
quest to finding creative and innovative ways of educating community folks in this regard has seen a major
surge in many parts of the world. Countries, towns, local and international organisations have all joined in this
pursuit to preserve and promote cultural heritage across the world. The UNESCO World Heritage Education
Program seeks to give people the chance to voice their concerns and to become involved in the protection of
their common cultural and natural heritage. It seeks to enable many people to partake in the decision making on
matters concerning cultural heritage. This enablement UNESCO and other organisations seek can be realized
through education; an indigenous form of education that is communal driven.
It was against this backdrop that this research was conducted to educate, create the awareness and offer
a platform for the people of Asebu community to discuss and share ideas on the preservation and promotion of
their cultural heritage. The Asebu Community, a traditional area in Ghana boasts of vast cultural resources both
tangible and intangible. It also holds at its bosom a very beautiful historical account as far as its formation is
concerned. The community with its numerous land sites, historical monuments and relics has the capacity of
being turned into a little rural tourist site for its economic benefit. Successfully achieving this will open up the
land space to receive the numerous clients that will visit there. Direct and indirect jobs will be created which
may reduce the movement of the youth from the area to big towns and cities in search of non-existing jobs.
Community Theatre (CT) has been identified as one of the mediums towards the realisation of
participatory education in rural areas. It has the potential for being a democratic medium, a platform which
offers the audiences an active role in the education process. Theatre is capable of being more effective since it
uses interpersonal channels that have been found to have more impact than the mediated channels of electronic
and print media. Simsek &Elitok (2012) corroborated the efficacy of theatre in heritage education when he
stated that “the use of drama has become a popular approach, particularly at heritage and museum sites to
educate the general public and schools. Community theatre serves as bond that brings people in a community
together. Theatre productions have been used in diverse ways to put an end to conflicts among warring
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 A Case For Community Theatre Practice In Cultural Heritage Education And Preservation

communities. It helps bring together antagonistic groups through discussions and theatre games. Osofisan
(2001) gives an account of how Wole Sonyinka through his play “The Beautification of the Area boy” brought a
lasting peace among two warring youth groups in Kingston, Jamaica. He recounts that there was a fierce fight
between the two groups but through the powers of theatre a lasting solution was found. By this theatre was seen
as a social force for releasing tension among disparate groups by acting as a congenial means of dialogue.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Using local culture to create viable business opportunities and development projects has become one of
the main approaches to sustainable rural community development. The re-use or utilitilisation of culture in both
tangible and intangible forms can be at times best economic factors for many communities. They can be used to
create businesses in local communities with proper management (Jamieson, 2000). However, the preservation
and management of such cultural resources have become a mundane task to many smaller communities. A clear
example is the Asebu Traditional Area in the central region of Ghana. Irrespective of the rich cultural heritage-
tangible and intangible, the people in this community have not been able to fully harness to their development
advantage. This community lives on the margins of poverty and are at risk of losing their cultural heritage
resilience. Little is known about the community’s cultural heritage and its interconnectedness to the peoples’
life. One major reason accounting for this unfortunate situation is the lack of knowledge on proper preservation
methods and the importance of these resources to their economic and social lives. Different forms of community
education have been used in the past by way of cultural education but have not yielded the expected results.
Most of these educational approaches do not actively involve the community folks in the process and
implementation of the results. This project sought to use Community Theatre which is a culturally driven
approach to community education, to create a platform where community members and other industry players in
the cultural sector would share their experiences on finding indigenous approach to learning about their cultural
heritage and its associated benefits.

III. OBJECTIVES
The objective of this community theatre project were;
1. To espouse the relationship between theatre and culture especially in the area of culture education and
preservation.
2. To expose the community to the various ‘cultural ingredients’ that are vital to their development.
3. To highlight the potency of community theatre as an educational tool at the communal level.

IV. THE STUDY AREA

The Asebu Traditional Area can be found at southernmost part of the Abura/Asebu/Kwamankese
District in the central region of Ghana. It shares boundaries on the west by the Cape Coast Metropolis, on the
north by Abura Traditional area and on the east by Nkusukum Traditional Area.
The Asebu Traditional Area has quite a number of towns and villages with Asebu Amantsendo as the traditional
capital. Other towns include Amosima, Akonoma, Mmiensa, Abaasa, Ohiaba, Old Ebu, Brafoyaw, Moree,
Sordoful, Apewosika and Patase.
Subsistence farming is the main occupation of the people in the traditional area with crops like Maize,
cassava, sugar cane, orange and yams as some of the main crops. Most of the women are into the production of
“Fanti kenkey” The areas along the coastal side are also noted for fishing with a lot of settlers due to the fishing
activities. The Asebu traditional area is blessed with a number of historic landmarks which are embedded in the
history and cultural life of the people.

V. LITERATURE REVIEW
Community Theatre in Ghana
Community theatre, a form that speaks to the ordinary people in their own language or idioms and as
well deals with issues relevant to their condition has been a practice in Ghana predating colonial era. This form
of dramatic performances draws its inspirations and vision from the people’s own traditions, struggles, creativity
and interaction with nature or their environment. At the heart of the peoples’ cultural practices and rites is this
kind of theatrical performance; funerals, festivals and other life-related rituals. Community Theatre like most
communal rituals in Africa is more of a purposeful activity for the entire community. A platform where
community folks meet to share ideas in a playful or entertaining manner. It also serves as an avenue for
enhancing the thoughts of the community-‘a theatre devoted to community concern’ (Okwori, 2004).
Community theatre is seen mostly as part of a cultural activity; because it uses indigenous knowledge and
materials. The connection between community theatre and the people’s rituals is what Turner sums up as
Theatre and human race are as related as mirror and reflection……when one studies a particular era, he/she
gets to know the religious, social, political and economic influences of the time you learn the people’s desires,
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 A Case For Community Theatre Practice In Cultural Heritage Education And Preservation

ideals and needs and in fact get to know the present and past history. A comparison of the past eras not only
emphasizes the evolution of drama, but it elucidates the theatre of today and prognosticates that of tomorrow
(Turner, 2005).
Theatre as a means of community education has a long standing history in Ghana. During the early
days of independence, Efua Sutherland, a stalwart Ghanaian dramatist through her Kusum Agoromma (Players)
experimented with community theatre. The aim of her experimental theatre was using theatre as a way of
contacting and engaging with the greatest number of people possible and in using drama as a tool for social
education and change (Agovi, 1991)
A peoples’ theatre should concentrate on awakening the latent capacity of the people to take part, and
to make their own decisions, and to organize themselves for common action. The interaction between the
performers and the community members to whom the performance is presented is always seen to be a mutual
one, especially in community theatres. The interaction brings a kind of cohesion and affinity between the
performers and the community folks. Theatre thus becomes part and parcel of a people’s cultural heritage and
common culture. This form of indigenous theatres found in the people’s cultural heritage has the elements of
education, preservation and conservation of the people’s values, as well as the promotion of knowledge of all
forms.

Storytelling Tradition
In Ghana, there is a storytelling art that can be found in almost every community within the ethnic
group settings. This storytelling tradition which is referred to as Anansesem (stories of the spider) had its name
coined from the Ghanaian tale hero Ananse. Anansesem which simply connotes Ananse stories. Anciently,
Anansesem were told during moonlit nights by the side of burning wood whose flames served as lights. The
stories were told by the elderly in a smaller communal gathering. This tradition was interspersed with music,
dance, mime and was very participatory. This storytelling tradition served as an institution that educated both
the young and old about the customs and issues of the society. Therefore, being present and taking part was an
obligation for all. This art of storytelling which involved a lot of quasi dramatics is believed to be one of the
basis for the development of community theatre in Ghana. Which has been used as means of education,
entertainment and sensitization till date.

Defining Cultural Heritage

Tylor (1871) defined culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law,
custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” This means culture is
seen in the various aspects of communal lives; their views about what they hold to be most desirable for their
lives, their beliefs about nature, their forms of worship, their relationship with their ancestors and even their
personal relationship with others within the community setting; what has been passed on from their ancestors to
them. The Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary (2015) states that culture is “the characteristic features of a
civilisation including its beliefs, its artistic and material products, and its social institutions.”p. 244). The beliefs,
social institutions and other artistic materials are most often passed on from generation to generation which
forms the basis of the people’s cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is seen as the legacies and other intangible
attributes of a society. The definition given by Wikipedia (2019) is more profound. It describes Cultural
heritage “as the legacy of physical science artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are
inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations”.
It goes on further to list some aspects of cultural heritage which includes tangible culture (such as buildings,
monuments, landscapes, books, works of art, and artifacts), intangible culture (such as folklore, traditions,
language, and knowledge), and natural heritage (including culturally significant landscapes, and biodiversity).
The culture of a people is what makes them unique from other groups of persons, therefore if these unique
cultural items are well packaged people who belong to other cultural settings will want to come and see how
‘unique’ yours is. And this takes us to the field of cultural heritage tourism. Cultural heritage tourism is
frequently quoted as being one of the largest and fastest growing segments of global tourism (WTO, 2004).
Cultural heritage according to Bowitz and Ibenholt (2015) is the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible
attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed
for the benefit of future generations. Cultural heritage manifests itself in diverse forms, from historical
landmarks, dances, songs, monuments and artefacts of a group of people. Effective preservation of these
resources helps in safe guarding the identity of the people as well as rekindling the passion of the current
generation into learning about the past. Tyler (2000) stated that, historic preservation properly approached
serves to ensure that critical perspectives of the past are not ignored as communities move forward into the
future. Looking at our heritage should be collective and common responsibility of all folks and therefore must
employ easy but effective methods. Stories and storytelling have proven to be one of the best ways of
preserving cultural heritages especially the intangible ones as posited by Agyekum (2013)

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 A Case For Community Theatre Practice In Cultural Heritage Education And Preservation

VI. METHODOLOGY
In the view of Asiama (2014), community theatre as an engagement tool for communication largely
depends on the application of the peoples own indigenous knowledge forms. Community Theatre practice with a
development aim is a process for social transformation that uses performance as a participatory tool to help
individuals and marginalised groups share and partake in the development process of their communities.
This community project was divided into two phases; phase one was dedicated to data collection whiles the data
collected became the source material for the community theatre performance which was the second phase.

Data Collection Stage

This stage was used for the collection of both primary and secondary data. Data collected included, the
history of the people, community profile, various cultural practices and their cultural heroes. Data collection
instruments included interviews, direct observation and focus group discussions. Participants were purposively
and conveniently selected. There were field visitations to the various heritage sites to give the researcher an
appreciable level of understanding and knowledge of the peoples’ heritage and their culture as whole. The
researcher observed through participation a number of the rituals and other cultural activities of the people.

Theatre for Engagement

As already espoused, Community Theatre was chosen as an approach for this community education
with the idea of actively involving many community members as much as possible in the cultural education
process. The project sought to use the entertaining advantage of theatre as means of bringing the community
together for local level informal education on their cultural heritage. It was also to create an enabling
atmosphere that allowed for the community’s open involvement in sharing and discussing their experiences and
knowledge about their culture whiles learning new ways of preservation as well as other cultural business
opportunities that may accrue from them.

Story Creation
The project employed the story telling tradition, an art form which is at the heart of the Asebu
Community as the main tool for the creative drama. The cultural setting of the Asebu Kingdom revolves around
Amenfi who is regarded as its founder. Research shows that, the noble people of Asebu are migrants from Egypt
who were led by one Amenfi, a man who is believed to be the founder of the Asebu Kingdom. Oral data
gathered from the study suggested Amenfi was a giant, a man whose physical appearance was out of the
ordinary. Amenfi was part of the army who were in pursuit of the children of Israel on their way to the
Promised Land. As seen from the biblical account, many of these men drown in the Red Sea but those who
survived could not return to Egypt. They wandered about for years and eventually settled near Lake Chad from
where they subsequently moved to their present abode in the then Gold Coast. In the Lake Chad territory, they
lived by the side of a River Sabou from which they derived the name of their traditional area; Asebu. River
Sabou has thus become one of their main gods of worship till now. As a people they have gone through series of
cultural metamorphosis which has added to their rich cultural repository.
The above narratives became the crust of the story created for the community performance.
The story created involved most of the cultural landmarks and monuments that are associated with the
legend Amenfi. Important landmarks like the Obokesedo, the Cover Stone, and the areas around River Asokwa
were captured as the setting of the play. Artifacts like Twen Kobina (the sacred drum), Amenfi Sword, the
Kingdom’s staff of authority were represented as props in the line of the story. The story created included the
various cultural expressions of the people, their songs, clothing (costumes), rituals and other religious activities
were all encapsulated in the body of the play. Characters in the play represented persons the community folks
described as cultural heroes-persons around whom the history and foundation of the traditional area revolves.
There were characters like Amenfi, Amenfiwa, Okyeame, Ako and of course a Story teller. In the cultural
history of the people, all these characters are very relevant.

Performance and Forum Session

The essence of using theatre for such community education program was to allow the integration and
involvement of community members in the process as much as possible. The story created was rehearsed and
performed by selected community members. The period of rehearsal was also used as an avenue to educate the
performers and other community members who constantly came around on the need to preserve their cultural
heritage and opportunities that may come with them. Performance was done in the local Fante language to allow
for wider understanding and discussion during the forum session. Indigenous communal dances preceded the
community theatre performance. The play ended with an open forum, where community members had the
opportunity to ask questions and also contribute to the story they had just witnessed. Resource persons and other

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 A Case For Community Theatre Practice In Cultural Heritage Education And Preservation

cultural development activists used the platform created to share more insights on pertinent issues raised in the
performance and answer questions from community members (audience).

VII. RESULSTS AND DISCUSSION

Some of the key issues and concerns raised with regards to the community’s inability to harness the great
potentials of cultural business were;
 Lack of ready, willing and able cultural people in the community.
 Limited awareness on various cultural business potentials.
 Lack/limited interest in cultural related businesses.

Another barrier to local cultural business evident in this study is the inability of a successful
collaboration or partnership between different development agencies. Local cultural business undoubtedly
thrives on collaboration therefore, ensuring successful involvement of wide range of actors concerned in the
development, planning and execution of cultural business is key to this kind of communal development
approach. These people may include public sector players such as the District Assembly, Cultural Ministry,
Tourism Commission, Private Sector players such as hoteliers, travel agents, restaurants, tour operators, Non-
Governmental players like tourism groups, environmental protection groups and community base groups.
However, what is seen on the ground is that, there seem to be no collaboration among these groups to establish a
common business where each can attain a certain level of economic advantage.

The cultural resource persons together with the community folks sought for indigenous ways of addressing these
concerns. Some ideas that emerged as possible solutions from the forum were;
 Constantly creating awareness on the cultural heritage of the people. This they suggested could be
achieved by setting up a local body that will see to the organization of culturally related activities as
well as take oversight responsibility of all heritage resources.
 Traditional leaders rethinking of their cultural monuments as economic resources not just as objects of
worship.
 Clear cut out preservation plans for cultural heritage sites must be included in community
administration and basic education.
 Community folks who are ready to enter into cultural businesses must be given the needed financial
and technical support.

Simple community based preservation plans for cultural heritage identified by the study includes
repackaging intangible cultural practices in a way that could be safeguarded for future generations. This can be
done by creating poems, songs, games and stories around such intangible cultural practices. Cultural heritage
must always remain relevant to the community and must regularly be practiced among different age groupings
to allow for smooth transmitting from one generation to the other without losing their core values.
Through the power community theatre, this study was able to bring together local government officials,
traditional rulers, community members and others to collaborate and discuss the community’s cultural assets and
legacies and particularly brainstorm on how to preserve them for future usage.
The immediate impact of the study was that, the chiefs, traditional leaders and other development
partners as a matter of urgency promised their support to the building of the cultural industry within the
community and its environs. Community members were reactivated on the need to uphold their cultural history
and resources. After the play simple phrases like, ‘this is our culture let’s uphold it’ ‘keep our heritage safe’,
‘our heritage is our pride’ were mentioned by the community members. This showed how they had understood,
embraced and imbibed the messages the play carried. Through the play and the forum, community folks were
taught the economic importance of cultural goods and how they can take advantage of them to better their lives.
Cultural heritage belongs to the people and they deserve the right to know about it and this project did just that-
exposing the people to their cultural heritage. When people know about the importance of their cultural heritage,
they will go a long way to protect and preserve them. The play which was created from this study has become a
source document for the heritage preservation for the Asebu community.

VIII. CONCLUSION
Community theatre transforms lives both within and outside of a community. It is able to develop the
creativity of a community at both the individual and communal level. It creates a common platform and a good
one as such for communal education at all levels hence its suitability for cultural heritage education. The
strengths community theatre wields against other forms of social learning is that, it mostly does not have any
kind of affiliation; be it political, religious or any of those practices that may restrict access to people. More so,
it does not really have an age limit or bracket, unless of course the issues being addressed are of age specific or
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 A Case For Community Theatre Practice In Cultural Heritage Education And Preservation

importance. In short, it is a theatre created by the community and for the use and benefit of the community. This
approach creates a common platform for all community members to share ideas on their cultural resources
amidst having fun.
Alongside community theatre performances, community workshop and lectures can also be organized
at community centers to conscientise members on the importance of their historical resources. Short lectures,
animations, exhibits of historic photos and relics can be of high interest to a larger audience. Effective programs
require strong and sustained local participation and leadership along with the recognition that indigenous culture
heritage can be used to stimulate development. Successful communities use variety of tools to leverage their
culture for today’s benefit including tourism promotion, education and rural rehabilitation. Providing a local
linkage and cultural basis for development is very important especially for rural communities who value their
culture. Community folks are likely to take part in and remain committed to development efforts to which they
have a direct connection. Therefore, actively involving them in any development process of their community is
a greater step towards ownership and sustainability.

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